I wouldn’t have been able to cope if another woman, a female, died right in front of me.
“Levi!” I heard Nuni’s sudden shout. “Levi!”
“I’m in my bed—”
“Sweetie!” Nuni burst into the room like the flaming-haired goddess she was. “Hilah told me what happened, but she won’t come up here to be with you because the prince scares her. She’s gone for a walk instead. Almighty! Are you okay?”
She was on her knees before me with my body wrapped in her embrace before I could blink. I looked at Ezah, who was watching us, then I glanced at Nuni and him and smiled a little as if to say “she’s my friend, and this is what she does”. His lips twitched.
“Tell me everything!” Nuni demanded, out of breath. “I ran all the way from the mess hall for single females!”
That was a good distance away from our homestead. It was near the Market Square, which was the centre of the city.
“I was on my way to Sector Two for berry-picking duty.” I exhaled. “I missed my transport to get there. I didn’t want to ask for help in case I got in trouble so I just walked. I didn’t know where it was, so when I left the city, I asked the first Maji I saw, and that happened to be Prince Ezah’s auntie. I didn’t know she was his auntie, though, so I just called her nona.”
Nuni’s hand found mine.
“She was lovely and told me she would show me where I needed to go. We walked and talked for ages, but we didn’t notice the changing weather. Princess Linsah said it was what they called a flash storm. A huge bolt of lightning struck a tree.” Nuni gasped. “It cracked in half and fell. We ran as fast as we could, but we weren’t fast enough. Debris from the tree was raining all around us. It hit us both, and we were knocked apart.”
I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the fear that I still felt. The princess was safe. I told myself that over and over, but I could not help but think of the what-ifs.
“I was so scared when I realised I had lost nona. I screamed for her, but the rumbling thunder and pouring rain were so loud, so I began to lift all the branches and leaves I could, and I found her trapped under a large broken branch. I don’t know how I did it, but I lifted the broken branch off her body. I didn’t realise until then that it had punctured her stomach.”
I tightened my hold on Nuni’s hand.
“The blood was everywhere, and she wasn’t responding to me. I was so scared that she was already dead, but when I checked and saw she was breathing, I focused and thought about what I had to do, and that’s when it popped into my mind.”
“When what did, Levi?”
“Kodak weeds,” I answered my friend. “You told me they can be used to stem blood flow in open wounds. I remembered you said that if I cut myself badly, and there was no healer, I had to chew the weeds into a paste and tuck it into the wound because it has clotting properties and can prevent someone from bleeding to death.”
Nuni was now trembling. “I’m so glad I told you that.”
I bobbed my head. “Me too.”
“How did you get my aunt-in-mate from the debris, though?”
I looked at Ezah when he asked his question.
“I pulled her free, my prince,” I answered. “I made a pathway out of the leaves, and the rain helped. It made them slippery so I could drag her along. I knew I couldn’t leave her to go and get help. The site of the fallen tree was massive, and it’d take too long to find her again. I knew she didn’t have much time, so I put my hands under her armpits and just pulled and pulled until she was free. I found the weeds then and made the paste. The warriors showed up just after I applied it.”
“Levi.” Nuni swallowed. “Almighty, girl. You’re a hero.”
I shook my head.
“I don’t know how I did any of that,” I admitted. “I wasn’t brave, Nuni. I was terrified.”
“Acting when scared is true bravery.”
Ezah’s words brought me a massive amount of comfort.
“You’re in a bit of shock.” Nuni moved so she could rub her hand up and down my bare back that my blanket had slipped and exposed. “You did a wonderful and selfless thing, Vi. You saved a female from death. I want you to remember that when you think you’re nothing more than a scared little slave from Earth, do you understand me?”
I nodded, then turned into her embrace and suddenly wept. I wasn’t sad or scared anymore, so I had no idea why I was crying, but I couldn’t stop. I was in disbelief that I had somehow done everything I did to help the female. I never thought I was capable of anything like that. Nuni shifted, and she knocked against my leg, making me wince. I looked down and remembered my wounds.